Bibliography
Course Hero. "The Picture of Dorian Gray Study Guide." Course Hero. 2 Dec. 2016. Web. 28 May 2023. <https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Picture-of-Dorian-Gray/>.
In text
(Course Hero)
Bibliography
Course Hero. (2016, December 2). The Picture of Dorian Gray Study Guide. In Course Hero. Retrieved May 28, 2023, from https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Picture-of-Dorian-Gray/
In text
(Course Hero, 2016)
Bibliography
Course Hero. "The Picture of Dorian Gray Study Guide." December 2, 2016. Accessed May 28, 2023. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Picture-of-Dorian-Gray/.
Footnote
Course Hero, "The Picture of Dorian Gray Study Guide," December 2, 2016, accessed May 28, 2023, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Picture-of-Dorian-Gray/.
Course Hero Literature Instructor Russell Jaffe explains the main characters in Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray.
| Character | Description |
|---|---|
| Dorian Gray | Dorian is a beautiful young man whose magical relationship with his portrait allows him to remain young while the portrait ages. Read More |
| Basil Hallward | An artist, Basil is attracted to Dorian and paints the magical picture of him. Read More |
| Lord Henry Wotton | Also known as "Harry," Henry is an older gentleman whose combined cynical and hedonistic wisdom influences Dorian. Read More |
| Sibyl Vane | Sibyl is a 17-year-old actress and Dorian's brief romantic partner. Read More |
| James Vane | Sibyl Vane's brother, James Vane swears vengeance on Dorian after Sibyl Vane kills herself. Read More |
| Lady Agatha | Henry Wotton's aunt, Lady Agatha takes Dorian under her wing to introduce him to society. |
| Lady Brandon | An upper-class hostess, Lady Brandon introduces Dorian Gray to Henry Wotton. |
| Sir Thomas Burdon | Sir Thomas is a radical member of Parliament and a guest at Aunt Agatha's luncheon. |
| Alan Campbell | Alan Campbell, a scientist, is Dorian's former intimate whom he blackmails into disposing of Basil's body. |
| Lady Alice Chapman | Lady Alice is the daughter of Lady Narborough—Dorian's hostess on the night he disposes of Basil's body. |
| Lady Alice Chapman's husband | Lady Alice Chapman's husband is a friendly but dull guest of Lady Narborough. |
| Sir Geoffrey Clouston | The Duchess of Monmouth's brother, Sir Geoffrey accidentally kills James Vane. |
| Margaret Devereux | Margaret Devereux is Dorian Gray's mother. Her father has her husband murdered shortly before Dorian's birth, and Margaret herself dies within a few months. |
| Mrs. Erlynne | Mrs. Erlynne is a lisping, red-haired guest of Lady Narborough; described as a "pushing nobody," she is a social climber. |
| Mr. Erskine of Treadley | Mr. Erskine is a wise, but largely silent, friend of Aunt Agatha's. |
| Lord Faudel | Lord Faudel is a bald, intelligent, and boring friend of Aunt Agatha's. |
| Lord George Fermor | Lord Fermor is Henry's Uncle George; he reveals Dorian's family history. |
| Madame de Ferrol | Madame de Ferrol is a much-married aristocrat— and a subject of discussion at Lady Narborough's party. |
| Francis | Francis is Dorian's servant in the latter part of the novel. |
| Lady Gwendolen | Lady Gwendolen is Henry's sister and Dorian's partner in a scandalous love affair. |
| Hansom driver | This unnamed man drives Dorian to the opium den. |
| Duchess of Harley | The Duchess of Harley is a plump, good-natured guest of Aunt Agatha's. |
| Ernest Harrowden | Ernest Harrowden is a guest of Lady Narborough—although he has no enemies, he is not well liked by his friends. |
| Mr. Hubbard | Mr. Hubbard is the frame maker who helps Dorian move his portrait upstairs into hiding. |
| Mr. Hubbard's assistant | Mr. Hubbard's assistant helps Mr. Hubbard move the portrait upstairs. |
| Mr. Isaacs | Mr. Isaacs manages the theater where Dorian falls for Sibyl Vane. |
| Lord Kelso | Lord Kelso—Dorian Gray's mean-spirited maternal grandfather—raises him following the deaths of Dorian's parents. |
| Mrs. Leaf | Mrs. Leaf is Dorian's housekeeper. |
| Hetty Merton | Hetty Merton is the young woman Dorian romances but decides not to seduce as part of his effort to change late in the novel. |
| Duchess of Monmouth | Gladys, the Duchess of Monmouth, flirts with Dorian and verbally fences with Henry in Chapter 17. |
| Duke of Monmouth | A weary 60-year-old man, the Duke of Monmouth is Gladys's husband. |
| Lady Narborough | The aristocratic Lady Narborough hosts a party in Chapter 15, and suggests Dorian is in love. |
| Lady Ruxton | Lady Ruxton is a plain, overdressed, middle-aged guest of Lady Narborough. |
| Adrian Singleton | Adrian Singleton is a man Dorian encounters at an opium den and later ruins. |
| Thornton | Thornton is the gamekeeper for the hunt at which James Vane is killed. |
| Mrs. Vandeleur | Mrs. Vandeleur is a saintly but dowdy friend of Aunt Agatha's. |
| Mrs. Vane | Mrs. Vane is the impoverished and shallow mother of James and Sibyl Vane. |
| Victor | Victor is Dorian's servant early in the novel; Dorian dismisses him after killing Basil. |
| Oscar Wilde | Oscar Wilde, the book's author, writes a preface to the text. |
| Woman in opium den | This unnamed woman is someone who was ruined by Dorian decades earlier; by calling him "Prince Charming," she alerts James Vane to his identity. |
| Lady Victoria Wotton | Lady Victoria is Lord Henry's wife, also referred to as Lady Henry; she eventually divorces him. |
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